Casey Chan

Here's one thing that you can buy for five bucks that'll make your life instantly better: a 10-foot long USB extension cable. I swear—this is not hyperbole here—buying one of these cords will change your smartphone using habits as much as buying a new iPhone 5 would, for a fraction of the price.

Yeah. It's just a freaking USB cable. They're not supposed to be that important. But oh they are—you connect to it every single night! The USB cables that come pre-packaged with your iPhone or Android phone? They're too short. If your bed isn't right next to an outlet, you probably can't use your phone on your bed while charging. If you're in a hotel room, the phone is probably left on the floor across the room. It's an annoying little problem that most people just accept because it's the cable that the phone came with. Imagine if people all used little, tiny toothbrushes the size of your pinky with bristles as short as hangnails because that's what came for free with toothpaste. That would be silly, right? You don't have to be those people. Go bigger.

Getting a 10 foot USB extension cable (if you have an Android phone I'd suggest just getting the straight 10 foot micro USB cable) extends your phone's charging cable so, so much, It allows you to charge your phone while you dance around the room. It allows you to never worry about accidentally prying the outlet open because you have a lot more slack. You can do anything you want because the leash is longer. You have a lot more freedom. Trust me, it's 5 bucks. It's totally worth your money.

Previously, I had a 10 foot long 30-pin cable but now that the iPhone 5 has switched to the Lightning adapter, I needed a new long ass cable. And though I was waiting for Monoprice or someone to make a reasonably priced long ass Lightning cable, it looks like it's going to take a lot longer than we thought to get third party Lightning cables. So the extension cable is a solid—and completely affordable—stopgap solution. I have THIRTEEN FEET of charging cable now. Sure, it's a little inelegant but it's the most practical thing I own and probably the best 5 bucks I spent in the past year. Trust me. You use this every day.